Outlet fixture



July 3, 1934. A. w. FRANKLIN ET A1.

OUTLET FIXTURE Filed July 8. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l .July 3, 3934.. A. W. FRANKLIN ET AL. 1,955,178

OUTLET FIXTURE Filed July 8. 1951 2 Sheets-.SheerI 2 i?? A INVENTQR Alber-- W. FanKlm Charle5 Lancer Room Plan Patented July 339 i193@ insane currar Albert W, New York, and Charles Lancer, Wociiaaven, N.. il.

Application Sully S, i931, Serial No. 549,53@

This invention relates in general-to improvements in electrical outlet nxtures.

The general object oi this invention is the provision of a novel form oi electrical outlet xture ior use in rooms and constructed so that it can be installed so as to permit outlet connections at substantially any point in a room.

'These and many other objects as will appear from the iollowing disclosure are secured by means of this invention.

invention resides substantially in the corn-v bination, construction, arrangement and relative location oi parts all as will be described in greater detail below.

Referring to the drawings-- liigrure i is a iront elevation view oi the invention as apphed to a baseboard;

2 is .a cross-sectiomi view taken on the 2--2 oi i.;

3 an enlarged cro-sectiond view conductor conduit; is a bottom plan view oi the conduit,g 5 is a top plan view with the cover removed; iig. o is a .licor plan or a room showing the electrical circuit made available by invention;

7 is an enlarged view oi a modined i'orzn ci invention.

'With the present form of electrical outlet boxes used in houses and other buildings provision is only made for one or two plug-in connections at one nxture. in view oi the expense of these nxtures md the extra wiring which is required when more than one is used it is quite irequent that only one or two oi such outlet fixtures are provided in a room. The result is that appliances employing electric current must be more or less grouped about these outlets, or, ii located some distance from them require longer cables to permit oi connection which is unsightly and constitutes a nre hazard. The general object of this invention is the provision of a novel form oi outlet fixture preferably associated with the baseboard of a room. which will permit oi the connection of electrical appliances thereto at substantially any point in the room without requiring long connecting cables.

"libe patine oi thev invention will best be understood by direct reference to the drawings.

.at l is shown the studding' usually employed in building construction upon which the walls are unreported. Secured to these studdings in the usual manner are the lath 2 to which the plaster wall 3 is secured. .at this point it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the particular iorm oi wall construction and that given in the drawings is only by way oi illustration. At i are indicated the ground boards which are usually secured to the studding and to which, in turn, is secured the baseboard. As shown in Fig. 2 the baseboard for two adjacent rooms is provided comprising the lower sections 5 and the upper section 7 in the forni of a molding. Mounted between these pieces which are secured to the ground boards are the outlet fixtures of this invention indicated generally at 6.

The construction oi the xture is shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive. It may be of any suitable insulating material, of which there are many useable forms. By way of example, a laminated phenolythic condensation product which is well known may be employed. The fixture comprises a channel container comprising two chamber io legs 'T1 united at their adjacent sides by means of the transverse wall 8. The structure provides two rectangular channels 9 which long spring contact conducting strips l2 are mounted. At 10 is a cover for the channel provided at spaced intervals with suitably shaped openings ll through which .the prongs of the plug connector are passed into contact withthe resilient strips l2. With this arrangement this xture may be extended entirely around the room and provided at suitably spaced intervals with the prong receiving open ings ll. The circuit arrangement for a twodoor room is shown in Fig. 6. Electric circuit connection can be made to the strips as indicated at the points ld in Fig. 6. Although only single circuit lines are shown in Fig. 6 there are, oi course, two of these representing each strip extending around the room. With this structure it is apparent that-electrical appliances may be connected into circuit at most any point in the room without requiring a long connecting cord.

A slightly modied arrangement is shown in Fig. 7 where the baseboard 20 is made in a single piece and longitudinally grooved to receive an insulating channel 2i 'of a diierent form which is provided with a removable insulating cover 22. As before, the channel is provided with two separated chambers in which the exible contact strips 12 are mounted. In this case instead of providing outlet openings which will receive the prongs of only one plug connector, the outf let openings are shown in the form of slots 23 of such a length that more than one plug connector can be inserted at one point if desired.

lt is, of course, apparent from the above disclosure that the invention is in no sense limited is mounted.

In the above disclosure it will be apparent that this invention resides in certain principles of construction and operation which may be carried out in other physical forms and we do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration.

What Wev seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l.` An electrical outlet fixture as described comprising a thin strip of insulating material bent to form a U-shaped channel with portions of the legs of the channel bent back upon themselves to form reversed U-shaped channels, a metal conducting strip in each of the reversed channels and a cover plate for the reversed channels having a plurality of spaced openings therein.

2. An electrical outlet xture as described comprising a long thin strip of deformable nsulating material bent along its longitudinal axis into a U-shaped channel, the free legs of the channel having portions thereof bent back in reverse direction to provide a pair of reversed channels opening on -the opposite side o the strip with respect to the first mentioned channel, a transversely curved metal conducting strip mounted in each o1' the reversed channels and a cover plate enclosing the open ends of the reversed channels and having a plurality of pairs of disconnected openings opposite the reversed channels.

ALBERT W. mim. CHARLES LANCER. 

